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Egypt's military-backed government resigns

The government of Egypt's prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi has submitted its resignation to interim president Adly Mansour, the cabinet says, in a move just weeks before a presidential poll.

Egypt is due to hold the presidential election by mid-April, and defence minister and army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely tipped to win the poll if he stands.

But Sisi has to resign from the government and the army before he can officially announce his bid to run for president.

Beblawi's government was appointed in July after Sisi ousted Islamist Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first elected and civilian president.

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"The cabinet decided in light of the current situation that the country is going through ... to submit its resignation to Adly Mansour, the interim president," the cabinet said in a statement.

Beblawi praised the government's performance on state television on Monday.

"For the past six to seven months, the government assumed its responsibilities and duties ... the government did not spare any efforts to get Egypt out of a bad phase," Beblawi said in reference to security and economic issues.

"This is not the time for personal interests. The nation is above everybody."

Beblawi said the government had also completed the first step in a road map outlined by the military-installed authorities, of holding a referendum on a new constitution in January.